from the please,-tell-me-this-is-a-joke dept

Boing Boing points us to something that I'm seriously hoping is a joke (please, please, please, someone tell me this is a joke/parody/Photoshop/etc.) -- involving Madison Square Park in NYC, which is supposedly now being managed by HSBC -- and thus (again, I'm hoping this is a joke) the lawyers have decided to put up giant end user license agreements (EULAs) that you supposedly agree to by entering the park:

Assuming this does turn out to be fake (please!), what's scary is how unsurprising it would be -- and how many people seem to immediately assume that it is, in fact, true. We're so used to such EULAs in every day life, that seeing something like this just wouldn't strike all that many people as being obviously fake.

Now, if this is actually real, then, things are even worse. It's difficult to believe (by any stretch of the imagination) that such a thing is even remotely legally enforceable. Already there are questions about the legality of "clickthrough" EULAs, and one would have to imagine that the enforceability of a "walkby" EULA is even more in doubt. So, whether or not this is true, fake or a joke... it's a rather depressing sign (literally) of the times.

Update: In the comments, Shawn points out that this is likely associated with HSBC's "Soapbox" ad campaign, which only makes it marginally less ridiculous (but no more enforceable).